14. —Could you tell me how many books I can borrow ________?

—Sorry, ________ at all . Our computer system has broken down.

Right from childhood, my brothers began to play ice hockey (冰球) with me. They all ________ me to become an ice hockey player someday. My mom didn’t agree, and she ________ me into the skating although I always had a strong hope for ice hockey.

Finally we reached an agreement that I became the referee (裁判) of ice hockey. Little did I know that I was beginning an activity that would ________ my personality. At first I only worked with my brothers. Everyone was ________ and we got along quite well with each other. I soon realized that I needed to work with other people, and that’s when my experience changed. As I began dealing with more coaches who acted in unpleasant ways, all I wanted to do was to get through each game and then be able to ________ without getting into trouble. Although as a referee I tried my best in every match, they sometimes shouted at me. That made me feel ______, but I decided not to let them drive me away.

I made the ________ to stand up for myself. I never answered rudely to the coaches, but I did not let them reduce my confidence any more. There were still a few situations that made me afraid. Once I called a penalty (判罚) and the team ended up losing. I knew I had made the right call, even though I was ________ when I saw that team’s fans waiting for me at my room. I stood my ground and overcame my fears.

I’ve been a referee for six years, but I ________ can’t say it’s easy. Every game ________ me something new and I never know what to expect. Now I have enough preparation to deal with the unexpected. These are the little lessons that I’m thankful to have learned as a woman referee.

“Stay hungry, stay foolish!” It’s a famous saying by Steve Jobs who died at the age of 56. He is not only a good example of “The American Dream”, but also a great role model for young people.

Steve Jobs was one of the fathers of the personal computing time and the founder (创始人) of Apple. He perfectly made apple products easy to use and cool in style. He was the “Michael Jackson” of businessmen.

Here are some of his greatest contributions (贡献).

Apple Ⅱ Jobs and Wozniak set up Apple Computers Inc. in 1976. A year later, Apple Ⅱ was invented (发明). It was the world’s first personal computer.	The iMac Under Job’s leadership, Apple introduced the all-in-one iMac computer in 1998. The iMac became the first machine which offered only a CD-ROM slot (插槽).
The iPad By 2010, Jobs was confident that the world was ready for a tablet computer (平板电脑) that would be great for watching movies and playing games. iPad is a great success.	The iPhone 6 The iPhone 6 came out in September, 2014. It is larger than iPhone 5s. And it has a better camera and faster date transfer (数据传递) speeds.

Dear Mars Project

The first civilian mission to the Mars is planned to take place in 2040. It’s a chance for the common people to fly to the Mars. The rocket will make a month-long journey to the Mars and back.

In 2020, a secret businessman bought all the seats aboard the rocket. Wishing to give as many talented (有才能的) people as possible the opportunity to go, he plans to take 10 crew members to go with him from across the world. He will choose those who will improve “whatever activity” they are into by going to space and who are willing and able to support other crew member.

Very soon after Roberta wrote to the old gentleman, the three children were walking through the tunnel when they heard a cry.

The children ran deeper into the tunnel. Before long, they found a boy. He was lying on the ground.

“What happened?” Roberta asked him.

“I’m Jim. I was walking through the tunnel when I tripped（绊倒）. I think I’ve broken my leg.” “The 11:15 train is due（到期）soon,” Peter said. “We must get you out of here.”

“I’ve been here for two hours,” the boy said. “I was on my way to the station to catch the train. It’s quicker through the tunnel than along the road.”

“It’s also more dangerous,” Roberta said.

Peter said. “We’ve got to get you out.” Then Peter and Phyllis helped Jim up. It was a difficult journey, but the children got there before the 11:15 train did. Finally, a signalman helped them and took Jim to Peter’s home.

Mother called for a doctor and helped Jim rest. The doctor said Jim needed to stay in bed for at least a month. Mother wrote a letter to Jim’s grandfather. She gave the letter to the doctor, who promised to post it.

“Can he stay with us?” Peter said. “We’d love to have a friend our own age.” “ Sure,” said Mother.

A few days later, Jim’s grandfather came to take Jim home. The children were surprised to see him. “You’re our old gentleman!” they exclaimed.

“That’s right,” he said. “And I got your letter, Roberta.” “What letter?” Mother demanded.

“Roberta wrote to me about her father,” the old gentleman said. “I was not surprised by what she said. I have thought for a long time that he was innocent. It was not possible that a guilty（有罪的）man could have such wonderful children. I think I can help you. Your father will soon be free again.”

Two weeks later, Father came back home.

—Taken from The Railway Children

Which part of the world has the most nearsighted students? Just look around you—it’s East Asia. Nine in ten school leavers in major East Asian cities are nearsighted, according to the BBC. Experts say books and video games are not to blame (责备). East Asian students, they say, aren’t getting enough sunlight.

People become nearsighted because their eyeballs grow out of shape and light entering their eyes cannot focus correctly. The body can produce a chemical called dopamine (多巴胺) to stop eyeballs from changing shape. And guess what scientists have just discovered? Sunlight can help our bodies produce more dopamine, reported AFP.

According to the study, primary school students in Singapore spend only 30 minutes outdoors every day; in Australia, by contrast (相反), kids spend about three hours a day outside. As a result, fewer children in Australia are nearsighted—only 10 percent, compared with 90 percent in Singapore.

“Children in East Asia just go to school, go home and stay inside. They study and they watch television,” Ian Morgan of the Australian National University told AFP.

But being a bookworm or a couch potato does not directly harm the eyes, added Morgan. “As long as they get outside, it doesn’t seem to matter how much study they do,” he explained. “There are some kids who study hard and get outside and play hard and they are generally fine. The ones who are at major risk are the ones who study hard and don’t get outside. As a result of massive (巨大的) educational pressures and the construction (构成) of a child’s day, the amount of time they spend outside in bright light is minimized.”

Experts suggest children should stay outside for two to three hours every day. This can include time spent in the playground and walking to and from school.

Your brain controls everything you do. It makes it possible for you to think, learn, create and feel; to blink (眨眼) and breathe and for your heart to beat—this fantastic control center is your brain.     39    

Can this small grey organ (器官), which weighs less than one and a half kilos, really do so much? Amazingly, your brain contains about 100 billion neurons (神经元)—it would take you over 3, 000 years to count them all.     40     Your neurons create and send more messages than all the phones in the world. And although one neuron creates only a little electricity, all your neurons together can produce enough electricity to power a light bulb (灯泡).

So exactly how fast does your brain work?     41     Neurons in your skin send this information to your brain at a speed of more than 240 kilometers per hour. Your brain then uses other neurons to send the message back to your foot to shake the bee off quickly.     42     No computer has your brain’s unbelievable ability to deal with the amount of information coming from your eyes, ears and other sensory organs.

But how does your brain allow you to learn things that you will use in the future? The structure (结构) of your brain changes every time you have a new thought, remember or learn something.     43     How? As you practice, your brain sends “bike riding” messages again and again. Soon, the actions are learnt and you are able to ride a bike easily from then on.

49. This is the ________ (ugly) design that the engineer has ever seen!

During the Tang dynasty, Emperor Taizong (唐太宗) asked the prime minister (大臣) Feng Deyi to recommend talented (有天赋的) people. H    63    , Feng didn’t recommend anyone after several months.

“I tried my best, but there are no     64     (usual) or well-rounded people at all,” Feng said.

“People are like tools,” said the emperor. “What we need to do is     65     (make) good use of their strengths (才能，才华). You should blame (责备)     66     (you) for not noticing people’s strengths. How could you say that there were no talented people in our dynasty?”

That’s true. Each tool has its own function (功能). A knife is made to cut things w    67     chopsticks are made to pick up food. We can’t use a knife as a chopstick.

L    68     a tool, each person has a special strength. Nobody is perfect. We can’t expect a person to be good at everything.

With this idea in mind, Emperor Taizong found many talented people of different backgrounds. He gave them important positions (职位), which helped them make     69     (much) of their talents. His talented people helped society develop and created a “golden age”.

A good example is Ma Zhou, who grew up in a poor family. Ma gave a lot of     70     (use) advice, so Emperor Taizong gave him a position and praised him many times.

If a person is talented in one field, we should give him a chance.     71     same idea can be found in The Analects of Confucius. Treating people as tools shows good leadership. Our president once told this story to officers,     72     (ask) them to treat talented people correctly.